Public sector HR must learn from private sector example

The Efficiency and Reform Group’s proposals to standardise HR and avoid duplication will be key to success – shared services and outsourcing projects already go some way to achieving a standard, efficient public sector HR process (Personneltoday.com, 2 June).

However, Whitehall should be looking to the private sector for inspiration on how to cope with cutbacks – private companies have been through austerity measures and are coming out the other side. Organisationally, large councils bear a lot of similarities to big businesses, where a standardised HR strategy has proved to be essential in hard times.

The public sector is already starting to ‘think private’ – it’s not uncommon now to see job titles like ‘managing director’ in a public organisation. Austerity measures will accelerate this process. We have nothing to fear from standardised HR – it works in big business, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work in public organisations as well.